DUBLIN: Thirty-four Irish companies have travelled to South Africa this week for a four-day Enterprise Ireland trade mission that will include events in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The mission is being led Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, accompanied by Enterprise Ireland CEO, Julie Sinnamon.
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It will include five business networking opportunities and more than 200 buyer events.
Minister Flanagan will also have a series of high level business engagements with private and public organisations, supporting Irish companies’ efforts in these markets. He will promote Ireland and its world-class industry clusters and undertake a series of engagements with representatives of the Irish business community in South Africa.
The importance of this trade mission is exemplified by the fact that the African region now represents a US$2tn economy and is the second fastest-growing region in the world after South East Asia,” said the Minister. “With a population of over 50 million, South Africa offers significant opportunities for Irish companies and is a gateway to the rest of Southern Africa.
Enterprise Ireland’s aim is to have 500 client companies exporting €1bn worth of goods to Sub-Saharan Africa by 2018. In line with its ambitions for the region, the agency opened an office in Johannesburg in 2012.
South Africa is the economic hub and gateway for access to Sub-Saharan Africa – a market of over 1.2 billion people,” said Fred Klinkenberg, Enterprise Ireland’s country manager, South Africa. “Ireland’s exports to South Africa now exceed R15bn [€1.14bn], with an annual growth of around 20pc.
Enterprise Ireland opened the office in Johannesburg primarily because of the marked economic growth in the region and the growing level of trade activity by our clients there. As part of Enterprise Ireland’s continued commitment to grow Irish exports to South Africa, the EI office in Johannesburg was recently expanded with the appointment of two additional market advisors in 2014.”
The agency also opened a trade representative office in Lagos in 2014. “This move is in recognition of the importance of the Nigerian market which is currently the largest economy in Africa,” Klinkenberg said.
Africa is transforming from a continent in need of assistance to a continent of opportunity. Sub-Sahara Africa is the second fastest growing region in the world and home to eight of the world’s 15 fastest growing economies. It currently has GDP growth of 5pc and a population of 1.2 billion in 54 countries.”
